The Heroine of the Mushroom Kingdom
by BatmanRules256
Summary: Born and raised a princess, Lucinda has a secret she keeps from the world: she's in reality a heroine who protects the kingdom under the guise of Starchild, a warrior who wields magic items to give her increased abilities. Using this, she must take on powerful foes, such as a wicked sorceress and an alien queen bent on world domination. Is she strong enough or will she need help?
1. The Heroine

Chapter One: The Heroine

"Oh boy, those lazy, good fer nothin' mooks ain't gonna know what hit 'em, see." The Beanish thief grinned wide as he kicked the door to the Toad Town house open, waltzing in as if he owned the place. He pulled open drawers and took what he thought would look good and make lots of loot. He opened the safe he found on the floor, grinning wider as he saw all the gold coins inside. This was his lucky day.

"Jackpot!" He exclaimed. "I'm rich, see! No good fer nothin' guards are gonna ruin my day today! No one!"

"How about a plumber?" A voice came from behind him, making him freeze in his tracks. He began to gulp as he looked behind him. Standing in the open door was the one person he'd wanted to avoid. The one person who could stop him.

Dressed in what one would call a plumber's outfit, she sported blue overalls that went down into her brown boots. A green, long sleeved shirt went under them, going to her wrists. Covering her hands were white gloves that looked natural on her. Covering her face was a mask that resembled that of a Shy Guy's. A small trace of two blue eyes could be seen behind it, however. Her hair was long and orange, flowing to her waist and brilliant. She also wore a cap that was green with an L on it.

"You!" The thief exclaimed, almost hissing at his missed chance. She'd take him to jail for sure. Wait, no she couldn't! He still had a trick up his sleeve!

"Give up, Popple," The heroine said, stepping closer. "You'd do good to just surrender."

"You'll never take me, see!" Popple shouted, jumping out a window and breaking it. "In fact, you'll never see me!"

"Get back here!" The heroine shouted, jumping after him with skill and agility. She landed on the ground, running after the thief, trying to keep up.

"I made sure to take a Speed Shroom, see?" Popple grinned, pulling out a mushroom like those used in Kart racing and tossing it into his mouth. "Sayonara, mook!"

The Beanish thief became a blur, the heroine following him quickly losing ground. She grumbled to herself.

"Didn't want to have to pull this out this early," She said. "But, I have no choice."

She reached into the pocket of her overalls and pulled out a small, brown leaf that she then crushed in her hand. Magic power flower through her as two tanooki ears emerged from her hat and a tanooki tail emerged from behind her. She thrust her arms and head back with the power as she began to run faster as the tail began to wag up and down.

She eventually took off the ground, the tail wagging behind her to give her lift as she sped forward, fist extended in front of her so she could collide with Popple, overtaking him.

"Hey, what's the big idea, you palooka!?" He exclaimed, slamming into the wall in front of him before turning around. When he saw who had punched him, he gulped.

"Starchild!" He chuckled nervously. "Uh, can't we talk about this, see?"

"After you're behind bars," The heroine said, stepping closer.

"Uh, I don't think so." Popple said. "ROOKIE!"

"Rookie?" Starchild asked with confusion as she looked behind him. She gasped and jumped back as an egg exploded where she'd been standing.

"That's as far as you go!" A voice shouted as what could be described as a pink dinosaur with a mouth like a Snifit and a pink bow on her head jumped down. She stood on two legs and had a reptilian tail.

"Get the palooka, rookie!" Popple shouted, pointing at the costumed heroine.

"You got it, baby," The dinosaur said, winking. "I'll do it post haste and then we can go on with our love."

"Stop callin' me baby and fight!" Popple shouted. The dinosaur huffed and turned to the heroine.

"I am Birdo and you're not gonna take my man in," She pointed.

"We'll see about that," The heroine said. "I won't let either of you steal from the toads anymore."

"You won't win!" Birdo shouted, rushing for Starchild. The heroine stood her ground, leaning back and delivering a powerful blow to the dinosaur's face and knocking her back.

"Ow!" Birdo rubbed her snout. "That hurt! You'll pay for that!"

She rushed for Starchild, the heroine planning to dodge again. However, this time, Birdo shot an egg that collided with the heroine, exploding and knocking her back.

The heroine hit the ground, feeling the pain of the egg and of her impact. She stood up, panting as she felt her ears and tail disappear.

"Looks like we weakened her!" Popple shouted. "Take her out, Rookie! Do it with extreme malice!"

"With pleasure, baby!" Birdo said, taking a deep breath, her snout folding inwards a little as if she was charging up a blast meant to level a building. She took aim at Starchild and unleashed her blast. The heroine couldn't dodge because the speed increase from the tail had left her. She reached for her pocket as the blast hit. An explosion rocked the city.

All around, Toads looked out to see Popple, gasping as they saw their heroine get caught in the explosion. They all gasped as they saw that their heroine had fallen. The smoke poured out from the explosion, clouding everyone's vision of the place of impact.

"Mommy," A Toad child asked his mother. "Is… is Starchild okay?"

"I… I don't know," The mother said. "I don't know. I hope that she's okay."

"Looks like I beat that mook of a superhero!" Popple laughed as he began to look around. Toads all began to scurry away.

"You mooks better be ready to hand over all your loot!" He shouted. "I just beat the only one who could have stopped me! What will protect all your precious little treasures from me now that she's gone?"

"You monster!" A Toad woman called out.

"Hey, can it, lady!" Popple shouted towards her, turning to face her. "I'm abut ta come over there and—"

However, before the thief could get any more words out, a fireball struck Birdo in the face. She was blown back a little, but not by much.

"Huh?" Popple asked, turning, his face turning to one of horror as he saw the smoke clearing from the explosion.

Standing in the smoke, wind blowing around her, Starchild stood, a fiery aura surrounding her. Her overalls had turned white as well, her hat having turned the same color.

"It's time for you to go behind bars, Popple," She said as she stepped closer to the two.

"Rookie, stop her!" Popple shouted. Birdo rushed for Starchild, but the heroine ducked, punching her in the gut. A fireball shot out from her hand and blew Birdo back.

"Come along quietly and you won't be harmed, Popple," Starchild said. "Last chance."

"You ain't got nothin' on me!" Popple shouted. "Let's go, you palooka!"

Popple began to throw bombs at Starchild as Birdo shot eggs. Starchild weaved and dodged, ducking and jumping. She ran forward, fireballs forming in her hands as she closed the gap between the two. Birdo threw a right hook at her, the heroine meeting it with a fireball, slamming her foot into Birdo's face.

Birdo and Starchild began to trade blows at that point, fireballs and eggs being thrown in as well. Birdo shot a volley of eggs at Starchild, Starchild shooting a plethora of fireballs at them to destroy them.

"You're pretty good, sweetie," Birdo said. "But, I think I'd like you better inside of me."

"Uh, what?" Starchild asked, confused. Birdo took this opportunity to inhale in like a vacuum and manage to suck Starchild inside of her. She started to hack and snorted out an egg that sat there, shaking a little.

"Time to make a getaway!" Popple took off running.

The egg cracked a little and jumped to the side. Popple saw this and began running faster. Birdo began to follow, running as fast as her legs would carry her. The egg cracked further, flames leaking out of it as it exploded and the heroine stood there, glaring through the mask at the two. Popple almost shrieked, taking off as she ran for him, pulling her fist back for a huge fireball.

She threw her punch, the punch colliding with Popple and sending him flying into a building. Birdo became angry and turned to her.

"How DARE you hit my man?!" She exclaimed as Starchild levelled her with a punch to her snout, sending a huge fireball down it. Birdo flew backwards, spitting flames as she also collided with a building.

Starchild walked over to where they were imbedded into a building, grabbing the two of them.

"Time for you to head back to your cells." She said dragging them to the guard house for the castle.

"Halt," The Toad guard said. "You may be the self-proclaimed protector of Toad Town and the Mushroom Kingdom, but you aren't allowed here."

"Brought ya something," Starchild said behind her mask. "Enjoy."

She tossed the two at the guard, who looked shocked at them. When he looked up at Starchild, she was gone. He didn't look behind him, however, or he would have seen her sneaking into a window on the upper floors of the castle.

Inside the room, Starchild landed with nary a sound. She reached behind her and took off her mask, revealing her face to her mirror. She looked quite similar to a certain monarch of the kingdom, but not quite the same.

She walked into the large closet and opened the floorboards to reveal a chest. Opening the chest, she took off her uniform, placing it and her mask into it, but not before looking at the glass case within the chest. Inside was a feather that basically radiated magic power. She closed the chest, hoping the day would never come that she had to rely on the feather.

Closing up and hiding the chest, she pulled a dress from those hanging in her closet. It was a green color, long and flowing. She tied her hair in a ponytail and managed to fit the earrings in her ears. Shaped like crescent moons, they glinted slightly. She liked them as they were a gift from a friend of her mother's, but she couldn't care less about the dress.

She opened her door, slipping into the heels she desperately hated and hearing the clacking on the floor with every footstep. She hastily pulled on some green gloves as well. She hated long gloves, much preferring short ones that covered her hands for the sake of her outfit. As she walked by, her sister stepped out of her room, dressed in purple and wearing simple sphere earrings that were blue in color.

Her sister's red colored eyes trained on her, scanning her attire.

"You smell," She said. "Like, terrible."

The princess sniffed her hair, sighing internally as she hadn't quite noticed the smell… though, her sister did have an accelerated sense of smell. She needed to make sure that she didn't alert her to anything off.

She walked down the hall with her, trying her best to keep her posture steady and her hands clasped in front of her. Her sister didn't walk like that, but she also didn't have to wear heels. She stared at her sister's long hair, noting the red color. It had almost been a scandal, but it certainly hadn't detracted from any sort of beauty she held.

"Mother was wondering when you'd rouse your sleepy head," Her sister chuckled. "She almost had me go to wake you."

"Well, I suppose it is a bit late." The princess said quietly.

"Did you hear that plumber fought a Beanish thief earlier today?" Her sister asked.

"Oh?" The princess asked, turning her gaze to her sister and feigning ignorance. "What happened?"

"She apparently defeated a thief from the Beanbean Kingdom and another thief and dragged them off to the guards to arrest." Her sister said. "I'm really surprised that the guards didn't try to defeat her."

"Perhaps they don't wish to try," The princess said.

"Well, she should probably be more careful," Her sister replied. "Well, mother wanted to see us."

"What for?" The princess asked as they entered the throne room.

"Lucinda, Coco," The queen said from her throne. "I have been expecting the two of you."

"Yes mother," Coco spoke, looking at the covert heroine.

"I am here, mother," Lucinda spoke.

"Another report of that troublemaker in that ridiculous outfit," The queen said. "You two had best stay in the castle today. I don't want you thinking that this is an alright thing to do."

"What are you talking about?" Lucinda asked. "Are you talking about that plumber?"

"Yes, that ruffian," The queen said, distaste in her voice as she brushed her orange locks behind an ear. "I expect the both of you to view her the same."

"From what I heard, all she did was arrest some guy," Lucinda said. "Sounds like someone's got too much time on her hands."

"And how do you know that this hooligan is a woman?" The queen asked her.

"Literally every report on this chick says it's a girl." Lucinda shrugged. "I mean, she doesn't try to hide it."

"She should have joined the royal guard like everyone else who attempts to attack people on the streets," The queen said. "Now, I want no more word about this."

"Yes mother," The princesses said, nodding as in walked a messenger Toad, dressed in pink with mushroom shaped pigtails.

"Your highness," She said as another Toad walked in behind her, this one carrying a parcel in his hands. "Prince Peasley has arrived and seeks an audience with your daughter."

"Tell him I said he can take his audience and shove it—" Lucinda began before a quick look from her mother stopped her.

"Send him in," The queen said as the Toad nodded. In walked a Beanish male about Lucinda's age, a smug look on his face as he walked up to her. He was dressed in the garb of Beanish royalty with a rapier on his belt and took Lucinda's hand and kissed it.

"My lady, you look fine," He said, smug look still on his face. Lucinda simply glared, wrenching her hand away as her mother raised an eyebrow.

"And you look like shit," Lucinda said. "Now, refrain from touching me or I'll take great pleasure in impaling you with your own sword."

"Such harsh words," Prince Peasley said as the two engaged in a staredown. "But, are you sure you're willing to back them up?"

The stares set the room on edge. The queen stood from her throne and stood next to them, lest they begin to fight. It had happened before and it was certain to happen again if she did not intervene.

"Both of you are going to behave like royalty or I shall have you thrown in the dungeon like those who fight," She said, that authority in her voice as she separated them. "Now, state your business."

"I'm here to reclaim the thief that your so called superheroine arrested," Prince Peasley said. "I simply asked for the princess because that sounds less pompous."

"Like you could ever sound less pompous," Lucinda said as a quick jab to her ribs stopped any further arguments.

"Then, Toadette will retrieve him for you," The queen said. "You will wait here."

"Very well," Prince Peasley said, standing closer to Lucinda, who began to pull back for a heavy handed punch. However, the queen stopped her from enacting said punch, which caused her to huff.

Eventually, Toadette returned with the two thieves, giving them to the prince.

"Thank you for your patronage," The prince nodded as h walked out with the two of them. "I shall remember this."

Lucinda rolled her eyes and began to walk back to her room. Upon reaching the door, however, her mother said something to her.

"Your behavior could use some work," She said. "I expect you to treat the son of one of our allies better."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lucinda said, scoffing. "It's just that I've never understood the masculine side of this whole royalty thing and how to act. I wonder why that is."

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," The queen said. "I'm doing as best I can to raise you two singlehandedly."

"And why is that?" Lucinda turned, facing her. "Why is that? Every time I ask, you dodge the question."

"Because it's not your right to know," Peach stated.

"I think it is!" Lucinda shouted. She opened her room door without another word and shut the door. The queen sighed sadly, returning to the throne room.

Inside of her room, Lucinda tensed as she heard something in her closet. She opened the door to find a Toad in pink, similar to the messenger Toadette, but this Toadette was a good deal younger, at least five years younger than Lucinda herself. Lucinda had taken a liking to her early on and nicknamed her 'Pink'

"What are you doing in my closet?" Lucinda asked.

"I," The Toadette began. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see your cool stuff and I didn't think you'd say yes."

"Well, what makes you think I'd say it now?" Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"Because I think it's so cool and you do such a good job protecting us and all that." Pink said, her voice a squeak.

"Huh?" Lucinda asked, having hoped that it wasn't what she was thinking it was. Because that would be a problem.

"I know your secret," Pink said quietly. "I just… I saw you take off your costume one time and I realized it was you. You're my hero and I just wanted to see some of the things that you have."

"Look," Lucinda said. "I don't think you should be in here. But, I think you should be more careful."

"I'm sorry," Pink looked down. "I just thought it would be okay."

"How about I show you one thing?" Lucinda asked.

"Okay," Pink nodded. Lucinda opened a small chest in the back of her closet. Inside sat a small crown that seemed to have eyes.

"I just found this one time," Lucinda said. "No idea what it does, but it's magic. I keep it here so no one else can use it."

"Woah!" Pink exclaimed. "Cool!"

"Shhh," Lucinda said. "Now, you can't tell anyone about anything I show you, alright?"

"Promise," Pink nodded, scurrying to the door. "I'll see you later. My mom's gonna wonder where I am."

"Have fun," Lucinda said. "Good luck."

Pink nodded, leaving the room. Lucinda sighed, closing the chest and hiding it once again. She decided to take a nap and actually get some rest, knowing she'd be undisturbed for a while.

* * *

Well, this should be interesting. Let's see what happens next.

Note: so, a little disclaimer about this story. I know I have several other Mario fics I haven't been working on, but this one was one I had had and was trying to do for a bit. I took inspiration from Super Mario Bros Z and various works inspired by it to craft how I wanted the fighting to go. Obviously, this was a small fight, but it's Popple so who cares? But, this was an interesting thought I had. I hope you enjoy it.


	2. Dragohoho

Chapter Two: Dragohoho

"So… What's with that feather?" Pink asked Lucinda as the princess brushed her hair in the mirror. She normally didn't care about brushing it, but since she had a 'meeting', she needed to look good or get a yelling at.

"Which feather?" Lucinda asked her friend. She had petitioned her mother to have Pink serve as her new handmaiden to allow her to be closer to Lucinda. Lucinda wanted to keep an eye on her just in case."

"The one in that glass case," Pink said, looking at it in wonder. Lucinda's mind wandered back to when she'd obtained it. The voice still rang in her ears.

"_Don't-a ever use-a this feather unless it's-a absolutely necessary."_ She remembered him saying. _"It's-a too corruptive and-a dangerous."_

"_But, when would I need it?" _Lucinda had asked."

"_When-a you're up against a foe that-a not even your own natural powers can stop." _The voice had told her. _"There aren't many like-a that anymore. But, when-a you use it, you'll be faster than-a anyone else and capable of taking on even the mighty Koopa clan."_

"_Who are the Koopa Clan?" _Lucinda remembered herself asking.

Her mentor had paused, crossing his arms and thinking about this, almost as if he was hiding a great secret from her.

"_When-a you're older," _He said. _"When-a you turn eighteen, I'll-a tell you everything."_

Lucinda remembered the crashing of the window as soldiers and other things poured into the secret cave. Her mentor reached into his pocket, grabbing out a Fire Flower and walking towards them.

"_Go, Lucinda," _He said as his overalls turned white. Fire began to emerge from his hands as he stood in between Lucinda and the soldiers. _"I will handle this. Go and run. Become what I know you can be."_

Lucinda watched as the plumber fought bravely, attacking with the ferocity of a monster. But, eventually, he fell, giving one last glance to Lucinda, who finally found a strong voice to yell as she saw flames.

"MARIO!" She shouted, standing up in her room as she shouted. Pink was startled as she jumped back. Lucinda was sweating now as she began to see flames once again.

"Lucinda!" Pink shouted as a knock came to the door, alerting Pink to someone's presence.

The door opened and in rushed Coco, who grabbed Lucinda, holding her. The flames Lucinda saw began to die down as she felt her sister's embrace. Coco held her close and whispered softly into her ear.

"What happened?" Pink asked. "She was talking and she suddenly saw something and screamed some guy's name."

"When she was younger, she liked to go hide in some caves," Coco said. "One day, we found her in a burned down cave, clutching a green cap with an L on it. It looks similar to the one that heroine wears, but my assumption is that this plumber is based off of a legend told in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"So, Lucinda likes those old legends?" Pink asked.

"She's always thought they were cool," Coco said. "But, in spite of that trauma, her fears never got in the way of that. I know that she supports the actions of Starchild, despite the fact that she seems indifferent. Starchild is exactly what she wants to be and she sees her as an idol."

Pink said nothing, knowing anything she said could potentially let Coco in on something her friend probably didn't want her knowing. It was best that way. She turned to watch Coco stand up and walk towards the door, leaving Lucinda on the bed.

"Take care of her for me," Coco said. "I know she can do better than she does. She just needs to try to be better."

Pink watched the princess leave. Lucinda seemed to have recovered and was sitting up, panting a little. She turned to Pink, watching her.

"I suppose that there are some things I'm not ready to relive just yet," She said. "There are too many things I regret that if I could name them all I'd be dead."

Pink let that sink in; despite Starchild having a mixed opinion towards the people, who seemed to see her as either good or bad. She hadn't ever thought of how it would be to actually be the heroine, having to fight for the people like Starchild.

She knew the queen hated Starchild, even going so far as to proclaim her a threat to the integrity of the royal guard. But, the guards would never do anything to Starchild because they knew that Starchild wasn't doing anything to be selfish. She was clearly using power that far outclassed theirs and she took on simple threats as well as powerful ones.

Lucinda looked at her with a quizzical look.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Just thinking," Pink said.

"Alright," Lucinda said, taking that answer. "Well, I must be going. I have a meeting to attend that mother has 'requested' me attend. I will return shortly."

"Right," Pink nodded. "Should I let you know if… well, you know."

"I will know," Lucinda said, walking out. "It is my curse after all."

Pink was confused by that, watching her leave the room. She heard something… something whispering to her, coming from the closet in the room. She quickly made her way out after that.

_With Lucinda_

The princess made her way to where her royal mother was, standing there in her dress.

"Lucinda," Peach said. "I'm so glad you could make it. There is a matter which we must discuss."

"Whatever it is, I was asleep," Lucinda said, the queen rolling her eyes.

"You are such a bothersome child," She sighed. "I expect you to learn better. However, as you know, it is custom to discuss possible options of marriage with the daughters of the kingdom."

"Okay," Lucinda said. "Well, I suppose Coco will be completely thrilled to hear that."

"This isn't about Coco this time," The queen said, the pieces slowly beginning to click in Lucinda's mind. She lets her jaw drop as she begins to feel… anger.

"And, who do you think is worthy to be my spouse?" She asked through gritted teeth, trying her best to keep her voice low.

"Well, I had considered a few," The queen said. "They will be arriving shortly. I simply wanted you to be ready."

"I will be in my room until such time as they have left," Lucinda said as politely as she could.

"You will be here and waiting," The queen said. "It is you that they are here to be suitors for."

"I refuse them all," Lucinda said. "I already have my chosen."

"You must still wait," The queen said.

"Until they are here, I will wait in my room," Lucinda said.

"Very well," The queen said. "But, you had better be here when they arrive."

"Fine," Lucinda said. She returned to her room, finding it empty. She walked to the closet, picking up a green orb with a white question mark. The orb shifted, beginning to display an image in it. Lucinda noticed the shape of a strange dinosaur-like creature shooting stones out of its mouth at the citizens of the square. The soldiers were attempting to battle it, but to no avail. It was just too powerful for them.

The creature itself was a strange thing, almost like something out of a story. It stood on four legs and had a huge head and mouth that shot stones that seemed to be powerful with magic. It was green and scaly, but unlike a Yoshi. It had two wings that were able to hold it up as well. It had what looked like orange hair on its head and a sort of orange goatee under its chin.

Lucinda gasped, throwing open her closet and grabbing the chest she had hidden under the floorboards. She pulled out the outfit, returning the dress to the closet as she threw on the outfit. Placing the Shy Guy like mask on her face, she replaced the chest after grabbing her items (save the feather) and jumping out the window. Her window happened to be where it wouldn't be noticed if she jumped out and headed for the ground. She rushed towards the square, making sure that she was moving as fast as she could.

She grabbed the magic leaf and crushed it in her hand, the magic transferring to her as she began to lift off the ground. A tail like that of a raccoon and ears to match appeared and she began to fly through the air, much faster than her running speed.

In the square, the creature roared, spitting a rock at a soldier. The soldier dodged, looking to see a citizen, a Toad woman standing nearby, frozen with fear. The creature, roaring again, spit another rock at the citizen, aiming to kill her.

She covered her head, hoping that the rock wouldn't kill her. She heard a sound like the smashing of boulders, looking up to see a bushy tail in her face. She looked around it to see the mask of Starchild standing in defense of her.

"Leave now," Starchild said; it wasn't a demand or an order, it was advice. The Toad woman ran, turning to see Starchild walk closer to the creature.

"You are going to leave or I am going to give you a beating you'll regret." She said, pointing at the creature. The creature looked at her with a glare and roared, spitting a rock at her. Starchild punched it, destroying it. She moved forward with speed unseen, levelling a punch to the creature's jaw that jerked it upward.

The creature roared, rising into the air and flying around some, spitting a hail of rocks down on the city. Starchild moved as fast as her speed would allow, breaking the rocks and rocketing up to attack the creature. The creature flew backwards a bit, its body changing slightly. It turned humanoid, walking on two legs with its wings larger now. Its head changed to a more human looking one.

Starchild flew up to stand even with it, the two staring each other down. It looked at Starchild as if she was its most hated enemy. Starchild could feel the power of this creature now. It was merely in its beginning form. This was the true form of the creature. She had to be careful here.

The creature shot forward, spitting rocks from its mouth. Starchild punched one, but it didn't break, pushing her backwards. She moved out of its way, making sure it wouldn't hit the city.

The creature took a deep breath, its throat growing large as a huge rock bigger than the creature itself was shot out, heading straight for the city. It was massive, as large as a house. Starchild rushed to stand below it, pushing it as hard as she could. She was rapidly and speedily pushed towards the city. Gathering all her strength, she pushed, reaching for her Fire Flower. She grasped it, summoning its power and letting the warmth of the flower wash over her.

Her ears and tail disappeared as she felt her overalls go white, her shirt remaining its color. She summoned a powerful fireball to her hands, trying to use it to push back the rock. She dropped to one knee, holding the rock and trying to keep it from hitting the city. She felt herself be pushed downward, but couldn't manage to do it.

She thought of all the people that would be hurt, a sudden new strength emerging in her as she felt a powerful burst of fire emerge. She summoned all of it to her hands, shoving the rock back with a strength she didn't know she had in her, pushed it up and charged up a powerful fireball.

She summoned the orb of fire into her hands putting all she had into it, giving a yell as she unleashed the powerful fireball. Instead of exploding the rock, it somehow drilled into it, spiraling like a vortex and turning the rock into dust. It shot straight for the creature, striking it, but not drilling through it.

"How… How did I do that?" Starchild panted, realizing that she had done that. "I've never seen that sort of power before… Not sure I'll ever be able to do it again. But, now I have to stop that creature."

She leapt up with her enhanced strength, grabbing the creature's tail and using gravity and her own force, she pulled it down to the ground, slamming it down hard. She shot a fireball down its throat, punching it hard enough to crack the ground.

The creature stood up, swiping at Starchild, who dodged, slamming her fist into its gut. The creature shot a rock straight at her mask, cracking it slightly. Starchild cursed to herself. She knew that the mask wasn't the most durable, but she knew it was fortified with some magic, so it shouldn't break so easily.

She summoned fire to her fists, punching the creature in the face. The two began to brawl, the creature lunging for Starchild, who leapt over it to kick it in the back. A soldier got close and tried to attack it with a spear, but the creature was too strong. It attempted to grab the soldier, but Starchild grabbed it by the tail. She began to swing it around and around with each rotation getting faster and faster. She eventually let it go, allowing it to fly into the air. Starchild grabbed her Tanooki Leaf, flying up with the speed it gave her, slamming her fist into the creature's gut.

The creature grabbed her, pinning her arms to her side as it started flying downward at an alarming speed. Starchild felt her body impact with the ground, cracking it and cratering it. She felt a sickening snap as she realized she must have broken a couple of ribs. Her Tanooki powerup failed right then, leaving her weaker. She struggled to remain conscious as the creature stood over her, ready to shoot another rock at her.

She summoned the last of her power, grabbing her Fire Flower and swiping the creature's legs out from under it and jumping up to punch it with a powerful fireball that made a slight burn in the ground.

The creature suddenly began to glow and change. Starchild looked concerned, hoping that this creature didn't have another form. She looked at it, seeing it turn into…

"Prince Peasley?" Starchild asked as the prince looked up at her. He was quite injured, Starchild having done a number on him.

"It took you long enough," He said, coughing. "Never send a woman to do a man's job."

Starchild rolled her eyes at the remark knowing he was joking; she'd known him long enough to know that much. Soldiers gathered around them at this point.

"Prince Peasley," The captain of the royal guard said. "You are under arrest for the destruction of toad Town Square."

"Hold on," Starchild said, holding out a hand. "I don't think he was in control here. Beanish aren't exactly known for becoming monsters."

"We still must bring him in for questioning," The captain of the guard said.

"He needs an infirmary," Starchild said, standing in between him and the guards. Even you can see that. There's no point to arresting him if he's dead. Beanbean Kingdom is the ally of this kingdom; it wouldn't do to make enemies with them."

"Very well," The captain said. "I will let the nurses and doctors in Toad Town General know."

"I will take him there," Starchild said, picking him up and moving towards the hospital. She ignored the pain in her ribs to make sure he got there quickly. Once there, she left him with a nurse, heading back to the castle.

The climb back into her room was much more painful this time, but she eventually made it. She quickly (or as quickly as she could with her injuries) moved over to her closet, reaching into her secret chest and pulling out a red mushroom with white spots. She pulled her mask off, taking a bite. The pain in her ribs disappeared, allowing her to breathe easier.

She quickly dressed in a dress of modest proportions, which was far more relaxed to what she was wearing before she went after the creature Prince Peasley became. She walked through the castle, ignoring the soldiers that went through towards her room. She made her way out of the castle, leaving to the square. She walked over to the hospital, speaking to the head nurse at the front.

"I heard Prince Peasley was here," She said. "On my mother's good will, I wish to offer my condolences."

"He's not been here long," The head nurse said. "How did you know?"

"I snuck into my mother's crystal chamber," Lucinda said.

"Makes sense," The head nurse said. "He's on the third room down the hall. Be quiet though."

Lucinda nodded, heading into the room. She saw the Beanish prince nearly unconscious, but he glanced at her when she entered.

"Coming to see me without your work clothes on, I see," He snarked with a chuckle. "I suppose I am worth that much to you."

"What happened to you?" Lucinda asked, standing over him.

"Well, you first started with punching me in the gut…" Prince Peasley started before Lucinda rolled her eyes.

"What turned you into that thing?" She asked, shutting the door.

"Lucinda," Prince Peasley said, his tone becoming serious. Lucinda immediately felt herself tense. The few times he'd ever been truly serious, true dangers had emerged. Lucinda knew that she couldn't afford to not take it seriously.

"What?" She asked. They may never have gotten along, but if there was one thing she knew, it was that he wasn't one to make up stories.

"There is a great evil coming for this kingdom," Prince Peasley said, looking right into Lucinda's eyes. "And, it's far stronger than I was in the form of that creature."

Lucinda's eyes widened as she felt her blood run cold. That creature had broken her ribs from that fall; how much more powerful could a being be?

"Y-You're sure?" She asked. She clenched her fists, trying to keep composure.

"This is no lie," Prince Peasley said. "You will be of no match for them unless you use that one treasure you kept."

Lucinda's breath hitched; she knew what he meant. They may have disliked each other, but they would never wish death upon each other. If he said that was the only option, then it was certainly a grave day.

"My mother failed to defeat this evil," Prince Peasley said. "She was transformed as well, but the evil has managed to learn of this kingdom and is planning to come here. I was coming to warn you, but I was caught. But, trust me, Lucinda. This is not an easy task. The evil that is coming is far more than any sort of weak criminal you're used to fighting. You will have to release any sort of blocks you have against going all out and fight like you can't fight. I know you have two such items of great power and you must use them if you wish to fight."

"I can't use the crown," Lucinda said.

"And why not?" Prince Peasley asked. "You know it could help."

"It doesn't work for me," Lucinda said. "I'm incompatible with it. But, there is probably someone who is… I'm just not sure who."

"You had best train as hard as you can," Prince Peasley said. "I promise you will die if you don't.

"Right…" Lucinda said as she left. "Don't worry. I'll avenge your kingdom."

"Only if you have the strength to protect your own." Prince Peasley softly said.

"I will fight," Lucinda said to herself. "I will have to stand in defense of this kingdom

_Elsewhere_

"May I go, My Lady?" The small Beanish asked, a huge grin adorning his face. "I have such fury."

"Yes, Fawful," The lady said, cackling. "Prepare them for the time when I will destroy the Mushroom Kingdom. But, make sure you destroy their heroine. She is the only true threat."

"She will be like mustard on a sandwich of defeat." Fawful said.

"Make sure you do not underestimate her," The lady said. "That is what gave the previous plumber the edge last time we fought."

"I shall make sure she tastes her mustard of her defeat sandwich," Fawful grinned. "She will see my fury.

* * *

So, there is something truly evil coming. I wonder how Lucinda will be able to handle it. We'll find out.


	3. Visitor

Chapter Three: Visitor

Prince Peasley's words from days earlier had put her on edge, the orange haired princess clenching her fists as she looked out the window. She suddenly felt her throat tighten. Pink had been behind her for ten minutes, looking at her, but she didn't know she was even there.

Lucinda had changed into a green dress that had a shorter skirt so she could run better.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she took deep breaths. Consistent glancing at her closet and the glass case hidden within increased the rate of these breaths, her grip on her window tightening as the stone crumbled slightly due to the strength of her grip.

"Are you okay, my lady?" Pink asked. Lucinda jumped with a slight shriek as she turned around to see Pink, who seemed just as shocked at her reaction.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked in a panicked voice, her heart rate skyrocketing.

"Ten minutes," Pink answered. "Please tell me what's going on."

"There's something terrible coming to this kingdom," Lucinda said. "Something I cannot even begin to fight according to Peasley."

"But, he's just a stupid head," Pink said. "I mean, he probably thinks it's because you're a girl."

"There has never been a more grave statement that has come out of his mouth," Lucinda said. "The end may be near if I don't do something."

"Do you think you can use… it?" Pink asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't know," Lucinda said. "But, I suppose it will be time to find out when it happens. I hope that whatever it was is stayed there while I prepare."

"Prepare?" Pink asked.

"Yeah," Lucinda said. "I'm going to train. If my mother asks, I went to study."

"You know that excuse will never work," Pink said.

"It's gonna have to," Lucinda said. "I'll be back later. Hold the fort, but don't touch the things in the place. You never know how they'll react to you."

"Right," Pink nodded as Lucinda jumped out her window, landing on the grass softly. She took off running toward the woods near the castle, disappearing into the thick of them. Pink watched her, suddenly becoming aware of a whisper coming from Lucinda's closet. She opened the door and peeked in, glancing at all the items hidden within, her gaze passing over the crown. Thinking nothing of it, she closed the door and left the room, unaware of her having been noticed by two small, blinking eyes.

_With Lucinda_

Lucinda ran through the forest, searching for what she was looking for. She ran into a clearing cleverly disguised by a powerful magic, she walked to the clearing's center. In the center was a burnt circle with the face of a monster in the center. Lucinda sat down in the center of this circle, crossing her legs as if in meditation. She didn't know why, but this burnt circle had always felt oddly comforting.

She didn't know how it had gotten there, but one day, she had noticed it, and it had drawn her to it. She liked to sit in the center and receive calming thoughts. She felt calm wash over her like a cool wave of water. She closed her eyes, trying to get some closure. She knew she had to be focused to be able to fight properly and her panic was certainly not helping her.

She continued to try and calm herself, but it wasn't working as well as normal. She began to feel hot, as if she had a fever. Sweat pooled once again on her forehead, spilling down over her dress and soaking it. She didn't notice, her focus on whatever plagued her mind. Thoughts were rushing into her mind, thoughts that weren't her own.

She saw a burning Mushroom Kingdom with a cackling monster standing overtop of it, thin green fingers pointed upwards as lightning crashed downward onto the ground. Fire rained from her hands as the citizens were burned and electrocuted. She felt a strange presence as she saw something else. Another monster, roaring with might as fire burst forth from its mouth. It seemed… familiar somehow.

And she saw… her mother! Her mother was standing there too, a weapon that resembled a frying pan in her hand, blood covering her body as they faced this foe.

Immediately, Lucinda saw a feather fluttering down as she clenched her eyes shut. She tried to will the feather to disappear, to make her forget that threat and fear, to let her just have peaceful thoughts, but she couldn't.

She then saw a flash of light as a single word burned itself into her mind; Koopa. With a yell of terror, Lucinda's mind snapped back to reality as she saw the burning fire that surrounded her. She began to panic, thinking the clearing was on fire, but it was seemingly only around her. _She_ was the one that was on fire.

"What?" She asked, gasping as the fire immediately disappeared as quickly as she'd noticed it. She began to panic, the idea of fire around her being a bit of a shock. She looked around, wondering if anyone had seen her. She quickly took a deep breath, pondering this predicament. She knew she couldn't go to her mother about this. She knew that something like this wasn't something she could easily explain away. Her mother would discover this field (and the fact she had lied about studying) and would forbid her from coming here again.

This was near where she had trained with Mario when she was younger. She knew where he kept old journals that talked of creatures she'd never seen before. They were in fact dismissed as myth by her mother, but the journals had too much evidence. She knew that she couldn't prove anything simply by them, but she also knew that she had a lot to prove. She had to find out what was going on that her mother wasn't telling her.

Another question popped out to her; the question of her father. Obviously she had one, but neither Mario nor her mother would say a thing about him. Her mother flat out refused to tell her, stating that her Aunt Daisy was pretty much her other parent. But, that was only a cop-out to prevent the younger her from looking into the events surrounding it. She had to figure a few things out, particularly the fire. It had happened before, she thought. It did… she assumed it could.

Before her thoughts could delve further, a crash behind her alerted her to a presence there. She turned, running over to the smoke billowing up from nearby. She rushed over to where it was, hoping to be able to find something interesting.

What she found was completely unexpected. Crashed in the middle of a crater was a small spaceship. It looked like it was damaged irreparably, the occupants inside not making any motions. Lucinda cursed herself for not thinking to bring any power-ups for fear of them being noticed.

Lucinda ran down towards it, touching it. She was surprised to be able to touch it with no problems. She could feel it was hot enough to burn her, but she was unaffected. She quickly looked for an opening, pounding on the ship to try to get an opening made. Whoever was in there couldn't last long, even if she somehow had some fire resistance. Finding what looked like an opening, she punched it further, trying to pry it open with her force. Eventually, whether by Lucinda's efforts or damage, it gave way, allowing the princess access to it. She was lucky it hadn't actually caught fire or else the occupant would be toast.

Inside the ship, it was toasty warm, the now once again sweating princess considering shedding some clothing, only to think of what would happen were she to try to explain it to her mother.

Of course, if it caught on fire, it wouldn't be so well either. Knowing that her clothes were a bit durable, being able to stand up to a little bit of tussling, Lucinda rushed forward, trying to find something as she headed for the front (or what she assumed was the front) of the ship, hoping to be able to help the people inside if they were still alive.

Looking in what looked like the cockpit she found only a mushroom that was about sixteen inches around at the widest point. It resembled her own Super Mushrooms, but this one was purple with pink spots. It looked more like a poison than a healing item. She picked it up out of curiosity, looking around for anyone, an odd compulsion to take the mushroom overwhelming her. She didn't find a single person, deciding to quickly make her exit before she was caught up in any sort of explosion.

She exited the somewhat large ship quickly, running with the purple mushroom in hand. She panted, looking back toward the ship, watching as it detonated, exploding and sending debris everywhere. Lucinda suddenly felt saddened. She couldn't explain it as she looked at the debris. She quickly ran back toward the castle.

"Lucinda!" Her mother's voice was heard as she froze in place. She turned to see her mother, fuming as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I demand an explanation for your whereabouts right now!"

"U-Uh," Lucinda quickly managed to hide the mushroom behind her back. "I was… I ditched my studying."

"That's what I thought," Her mother said, grabbing her by the arm. "You are coming with me, young lady."

Lucinda gulped as she was pulled, barely keeping hold of the mushroom. Oddly enough it looked as if her mother hadn't seen it. She had no time to comment on that as she was dragged to her room and forcefully thrown onto her bed.

"You will tell me where you went," Her mother commanded. Lucinda looked up at her, the mushroom tossed over the side of the bed. She didn't dare try to provoke her mother at this point. As powerful as she was, even with a Fire Flower, she didn't think she could take her mother on.

There was a reason she held command of the Mushroom Kingdom for so long. In addition to her kindness and grave, very few creatures could manage to thwart the various magicks she possessed, even some sorts of darker forms of magic according to some of the rumors Lucinda had heard from before she was born. It was also rumored that her mother was far older than she looked. There were some things Lucinda had witnessed in her mother's books she didn't dare think of or remember. Things written in those books were of bloody sacrifices and dark rituals of demonic origin. Lucinda was sure her mother wasn't some sort of devil worshipper, but something within her always made Lucinda uneasy. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she doubted she really wanted to.

"I… I went out into the woods," Lucinda decided to bite at least part of the bullet. "I wanted a little peace and quiet."

"Is this about Prince Peasley?" Her mother's voice softened slightly.

"…Yes," Lucinda nodded. "It is…"

"Whatever transformed him like that will pay," Her mother said. "For now, you will return to your studies."

"Uh, sure." Lucinda said, her mother turning around and walking for the door. She turned to look at Lucinda once more, crossing her arms. She sighed, walking out of the room without a second glance. Lucinda was now left alone with her own thoughts… and a giant mushroom.

She grabbed the mushroom, setting it on her bed. She was still confused as to how her mother hadn't noticed it, but she shrugged it off. Perhaps she ignored it and didn't really think it important. She had instructed Lucinda since a young age not to eat any sort of plants she didn't understand and this certainly wasn't native to the Mushroom Kingdom. She sighed, looking at it. She gave it a little knock on its top. There wasn't a soft thump like with a Super Mushroom, but there was a slight squishing sound, almost like she was knocking some slime.

She became curious, squeezing the mushroom. It gave a slight pulsing feeling, almost like she'd touched a beating heart. Lucinda stared quizzically at the strange fungus with an odd feeling in her gut. It was a feeling of danger, yet not. She knew there was something off about this mushroom. Why did it behave so? This was a question she had to get to the bottom of.

She thought about using a Fire Flower, but almost immediately decided against it. Such a thing would potentially destroy her room and her mother wouldn't like that. There was also the fact that she could sense the magic of the flower. Even if she wasn't this once powerful warrior like the rumors and myths Lucinda had heard from various sources, she could still sense when magic was used. Of course there was also the fact of the royal advisor and the royal counsellor.

While the royal advisor, Toadsworth was a bit of a stickler for rules that were older than even he was and could potentially a threat due to his consistent drivel about being a good little princess, the real threat was the royal counsellor, Kamek. He was so old he looked like a turtle, being in possession of such powerful magicks that he had wielded in his prime.

Even if Lucinda was able to get this use of such a strong magic past him, he would eventually find out. The seemingly crazed sorcerer could (according to himself) smell magic clear to the edge of the kingdom. Lucinda in fact was worried he knew her secret, but she was always careful to have some of the magic crystals in her room to drown out her own. Both of them were rarely in the castle, only called in when trouble was brewing, but Lucinda wasn't about to test that today. She did, however, want to sneak into Kamek's home to look at some more magic crystals. Those were quite interesting and gave a nice soft feeling in the room, calming her down.

She grabbed a pointed ornamental sword from her dresser, poking the mushroom with it. The mushroom pulsed oddly and Lucinda jumped back, assuming a fighting stance. She waited and watched as the mushroom made no further movements. Lucinda moved to poke it once again, but the mushroom exploded, gas exploding into the air. Lucinda held her breath, watching as the exploded mushroom reformed itself. Lucinda sighed, realizing there seemed to be more to this mushroom than she wished to see, but it was certainly something to investigate. She needed to figure out what she could do with the mushroom.

It began to glow, however, the princess getting back into her fighting stance as she narrowed her eyes in preparation for more gas to emit from it. However, it began to change form, seeming to shift to a strange form. Arms and legs began to sprout from the mushroom, the mushroom becoming like the head. At first, it looked like only arms and legs, but from it sprouted a body as well. Lucinda watched in shock and an odd fascination as the mushroom seemed to take on humanlike form.

The glow began to die down as the mushroom took on less of a purple color. It was a distinctly female form, dressed in a dress like that of Lucinda's own. She even looked like she was a similar age to Lucinda. Her face was tinted with a shade of purple, giving her the slightest look of hypothermia at first glance. Her hair was a deep royal purple, darker than any grape could ever be and, was held up on top of her head like a mushroom. Her dress was almost a similar shade, bearing a strange mushroom shaped brooch in the center. Her eyes were closed in unconsciousness, her breathing soft as she slept on. White gloves rose up to her elbows, going past them to show them off. Her hands at first looked like they had only two sharply pointed fingers, which was confusing to Lucinda. On top of her head, sat a crown not unlike her mother's, but Lucinda really wasn't concerned about it.

Lucinda couldn't help but stare in fascination. She was always drawn to the odd, but this woman seemed… otherworldly. Lucinda was definitely curious about her origins… and if she would be something she would have to defend the kingdom against…

She simply stood there, deciding to wait until the mushroom girl woke up before beginning to do anything rash or harmful. It's not like she was harming anyone. Even if the craft she came in had hurt someone, she had crashed, not attacked. Lucinda realized there might be some hard decisions she would have to make in the future, but she decided to not bother thinking about that yet. She still didn't know if this girl was hostile or not.

A sound nearby startled her to her feet as her door began to creak. She had intentionally left it like that, refusing to let anyone fix it. A simple explanation to her mother about how it would keep her on guard had made sure that worked.

She stood up, tossing covers over the girl and walking over to the door. On the other side was Pink, who glanced at the closet oddly. Lucinda noticed this, but assumed that it was something to do with her being needed. Oddly enough, her orb hadn't said anything about being needed.

"What's up?" She asked the young Toadette.

"Uh… what's going on?" Pink asked. "Your mom sent me up here to see why she could feel something coming from your room."

"Nothing's happening," Lucinda said, trying to get Pink to leave; she didn't need her involved yet until she knew this person wasn't a threat. "I was just trying something. Can you tell her it's nothing?"

"Yeah," Pink nodded. "I can do that. So, what were you trying?"

"I found something," Lucinda said. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay," Pink said, nodding. "Say… Lucinda… is there something living in your closet?"

"Technically, I guess the Fire Flower is a living thing," Lucinda said, but it stops living once picked, but keeps its power."

"Oh…" Pink said, looking down. "I see."

"What?" Lucinda asked. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," Pink stammered, glancing at the closet. "Just curious."

"Okay," Lucinda said. "Just be careful with the stuff in there, alright? It's dangerous if you're not used to it."

"R-Right," Pink said.

"So, how about you tell my mom that and we can hang out later?" Lucinda asked. "I'm not really doing anything. My mom said to study, but I could always use a break."

"If she says it's alright," Pink said. Lucinda nodded as Pink left the room. Closing her door, Lucinda walked back to her bed, throwing the covers off the strange girl. She crossed her arms, looking down at her. There was something odd about her, but she wasn't sure what was going on. Perhaps she could ask someone about it later. There were a few people she could trust with information like this, but would they be of any help?

Sighing in slight frustration, Lucinda looked down at the purple shaded girl. A thought occurred to her at that moment she was surprised hadn't earlier: was this girl even alive? She leaned down to her chest, hoping her heart was in the same place as her own so it would be easier. She got in as close as she could, hearing the faintest of thuds. It wasn't as rhythmic as a heartbeat, but it was a good indication she was alive… though, this then raised some questions about how her species worked in terms of blood flow and all that sort.

Of course, this girl did have similar anatomy to her (minus the hands and skin), judging by the outside of her body. She almost seemed like her in a way, even down to her chest size… which Lucinda was confused at. But, there was also something off about her in the inner. Lucinda didn't hear any breathing coming from her (assumed) nostrils. Any living thing would breathe… possibly. Lucinda didn't know a lot about things that seemed otherworldly, but she did know that all creatures on this planet breathed.

The princess listened closely, trying to hear it. She wondered what was happening with this girl. She couldn't be so easily dead, could she? Lucinda touched her skin to find it was quite durable feeling, despite being a bit squishy. But, she didn't worry about that. She had to worry more about making sure she could survive.

A soft stirring sound came from the girl, causing Lucinda's head to whip to her, shocked. She knew that it wasn't so miraculous that the girl be alive despite the crash, but it was quite shocking.

Ashy white eyes opened to stare into Lucinda's own, the two simply looking into each other's eyes. Both contemplated their next moves quite carefully. Lucinda knew that if this girl was a threat, she could easily overpower her if it was her species' capability. The girl sat up slowly, almost as if she'd woken up from a nap.

The white eyes shifted to a strange look, a foreign language Lucinda could neither understand nor comprehend spewing from the mouth of the girl.

"What?" Lucinda asked, confused at this speech, unable to hear any of it in coherence. "I don't understand you."

"St…ar…ch…ild," The girl said after a small pause. Lucinda's expression turned to horror at this. Was her identity exposed by someone who probably wasn't even from this planet? How?!

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Lucinda stammered, narrowing her eyes as she stepped a small step closer to her closet, ready to take on this foe if she could reach an item. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she had no choice.

"Ma…gic…" The girl said, blinking her eyes at Lucinda. Lucinda tensed, looking the girl up and down. Somehow, she didn't feel anything threatening from her. But, that didn't mean she was harmless. She had to choose her words carefully.

"Do you know how to speak more of my language?" Lucinda asked, confusion in her voice.

The girl spoke in what Lucinda assumed was her native tongue before pausing again. Suddenly, she began to speak again.

"I… can," She said. "Prefer… own… tongue."

"Your own tongue?" Lucinda asked.

"Yes…" The girl said. "My… tongue."

"Where'd you learn my language?" Lucinda asked, assuming this girl wasn't from this world.

"From… sister," The girl said.

"What's your name?" Lucinda asked.

"Shroob…" The girl said, her two-fingered hands closing and opening slowly. She pushed herself slowly to the edge of the bed. "Princess… Shroob."

"Careful," Lucinda said, holding her back. "You were in a crash."

"Must… return," Shroob said, trying to leave the bed. "Sister… angry."

"Well, you should stay until you're healed," Lucinda said, holding her back. "Also, explain the mushroom you turned into."

"Weakened… form," Shroob said softly. "When… damaged."

"I see," Lucinda said. "Well, you definitely need to wait and rest."

"Rest…" Shroob said, looking at Lucinda softly, almost as if analyzing her as she lied back down. Lucinda found it odd, but chose to ignore it. After all, she had brought her into her house and was about to poke her with a stick. She shrugged, deciding to simply return to her looking for answers about her father. There was something she didn't know, but she needed to figure it out right then and there. She sighed, tensing as she heard her door open.

"What's going on in here?" Lucinda's mother entered the room, staring her daughter down. Lucinda tensed further as her mother zeroed in on Shroob. Immediately, her mother's gaze turned to one of a beast being threatened. She leapt forward, a dark, evil looking magic in her hands as she held one up to strike Shroob, who was frozen in what Lucinda assumed to be fear.

"No!" Lucinda was surprised she made it in time to stand in between the two. Her mother stopped, the magic still in her hands as Lucinda stared her in the face. Her eyes were haunting and cold, bloody red and nearly demonic. Her orange hair was tainted with darkness. Lucinda flinched, an overwhelming presence of fear entering her.

"Get out of my way," Her mother demanded. "This isn't your concern."

"Y-You can't hurt her," Lucinda took a deep breath and stood as firm as she could. "She's hurt and I want you to leave her alone."

"This is bigger than simply being nice," The queen said. "She is a threat."

"She isn't," Lucinda said. "And what makes you think that?"

"There are things you will never understand," The queen said. "Especially about the relationship between us and them."

"What does that mean?" Lucinda asked.

"It means what it means," The queen said. "Now, get out of my way."

"If you want to hurt her, you have to hurt me," Lucinda said. "I won't go down easy, though."

The queen hesitated, the dark magic leaving her hand. Her body returned to normal and she leaned down to Lucinda.

"Don't make me regret this," She said in a soft tone. She turned around, leaving the room. "She's your responsibility."

Lucinda slumped down to the floor, panting in relief. She had managed to save this newcomer. But, it wasn't without risks.

"What was she talking about?" Lucinda asked.

"The Great Mush War," Shroob said quietly. "A war fought a long time ago. But… that power…"

"What was that power?" Lucinda asked. "But, more importantly, we need a disguise for you."

"Disguise?" Shroob asked.

"Yeah," Lucinda said. "We need something so that any other Toads don't recognize you."

"I… I can do that," Shroob said. She took a deep breath as the purple of her skin began to recede into her hair. Her hands formed three more fingers that flexed instinctively. Her hair looked less like fungus and more like actual hair, falling down around her shoulders. Her eyes turned purple, irises forming around pupils. Her once purple skin began to become a paler version of the human next to her.

"Wow," Lucinda said, impressed. "Well, let's go and—"

The princess was interrupted by a crash from outside. She quickly moved to the source ofit, Shroob trying to follow her.

When they arrived at the scene of the throne room, they saw a ghastly sight; The queen was lying face down on the floor, a Beanish creature chortling as he stood over her, a weird device attached to his head.

"Welcome to the mustard of my revenge, fink rat!" He turned to Lucinda with a grin that would put Any other to shame. "Prepare for the knife to spread it."

* * *

Well, it looks like there will be some interesting comings up next chapter. I wonder what will happen.


	4. Fawful

Chapter Four: Fawful

"What did you do to my mom?!" Lucinda exclaimed, running over to her mother, only to be knocked away by the strange device on the Beanish one's head shooting her in the gut.

Lucinda crashed into the wall behind her, Shroob barely avoiding being struck by the princess' body.

"You have a lot to learn, fink rat," The Beanish one chortled, the device on his head becoming like a jetpack as he began to fly away. Lucinda leapt up after him, trying to catch him.

"You foolish fool!" A blast struck her in the chest again as she was sent backward. "You still misunderstand what you are up against. I know no how you survived that blast, but the mustard of my fury is boiling hot. You will regret this."

The strange headgear began to fire a multitude of blasts at Lucinda, razing the ground around her. Shroob leapt for her with what strength she had, attempting to shield her with her body. Several shots struck her, causing her body to liquefy in places as she cried in pain during the healing of her body.

"Resilient," The Beanish mused. "That means I have more chance to bean you with Headgear's powers!"

The intensity of the blasts increased, Lucinda and Shroob being bombarded with attacks from the strange device. Both were near unconscious, but Lucinda crossed her arm over her face, managing to brace herself against the attacks long enough to reach into her pocket. Suddenly, her outfit began to blaze with her fire as she summoned her fire to her hand. The green of her dress became white as her hair began to burn with the magic fire she had gained.

A spray of fire blocked the shots from hitting them, but just barely. The princess forced them back slowly, her body still weakened from the attacks she had taken. Slowly, she stood up as she began to use more and more fire.

"Fink rat!" The Beanish shouted, an incredible multitude of blasts coming. Lucinda stood in front of Shroob, doing as best as she could to shield her from the blasts. Her fire could only block so many, however, as she began to take hits. Slowly, the color reverted back in her dress, forcing her to rely on her own power.

"And, now that you do not have a power, hero, I shall defeat you for the will of my master!" The Beanish cackled, landing as he stalked closer to the two.

Meanwhile, Pink, who had heard the commotion, rushed to Lucinda's room to get Lucinda an item. She knew that Lucinda didn't have much room in her dress to carry many, but she always had a fire flower on her.

Pink arrived at the throne room to see the fight. She gasped, covering her mouth as she saw her close friend on the ropes and powerless to fight this creature. But, that new girl was there. Would it be smart to let Lucinda's identity be found out by her?

"She needs speed to stop him," Pink deduced, carefully slipping around where she couldn't be seen. She made her way to Lucinda's room, making sure she wasn't followed. She had to help Lucinda or she, the new girl, and the queen would be dead.

She opened Lucinda's door, which had been shut, stepping into the closet. She opened the secret chest, a voice whispering to her. The Toadette tried to push it out of her mind as the whispering continued. She glanced at the crown as she looked for the Tanooki leaf. She also looked for the case holding the magic feather. She considered bringing that, but decided against it; Lucinda had said she needed to keep that as secret as possible.

Glancing at the crown startled her as it seemed to glow. The crown seemed to be looking at her. She shook her head as she found the Tanooki leaf, stuffing it in her pocket. However, she seemed even more drawn to the crown than before. It seemed… off somehow; like she couldn't explain the reason.

She looked at the crown, sighing as she left the darkness of Lucinda's closet, hoping that the Tanooki Leaf would work for Lucinda and help her stop this creature.

Rushing back out to the throne room, she stopped to see Lucinda and Shroob dodging the damaging attacks from the Beanish monster. She gasped as one came dangerously close to hitting Lucinda. Both seemed to be tired, unable to hit the creature and slowly becoming tired.

"Stay close, Shroob," Lucinda panted. "He's got to be running out of ammo eventually. That's when we'll get him."

"I… don't think… so," Shroob was sweating purple as she looked up at the Beanish creature. He chortled as his headgear seemed to take a deep breath, spitting another volley of attacks at them.

The two could barely dodge, being affected by the debris of the attack. Both were flung in opposite directions, being unable to stop themselves from hitting the ground. Because they'd been caught by such surprise, neither had the capability to defend themselves.

Both girls were knocked out from the onslaught. Pink gasped, running into the throne room.

"Another little fungus come to snack on the sandwich of her defeat?" The creature shot at her. Pink jumped to avoid it, but she tripped, falling on her face and behind a large plant. She quickly got up to run toward the guards. One of them had to be able to help her. She ran into Coco, colliding with the older princess.

The crown tumbled out of her pocket, landing with a small clatter in front of her, seemingly staring her straight in the face. Pink looked up to see where to go. Coming face to face with the crown, she gasped, knowing that she didn't put it in her pocket; where had it come from?

"What are you doing?" Coco asked. "Where are Lucinda and my mother?"

"A-A monster from BeanBean Kingdom is attacking them," Pink said. "I'm looking for someone who can help."

"I'll run and get Kamek, you go and find the royal guard."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

Pink looked down at the crown as Coco ran off the other way. She quickly made a decision right there. The creature loomed over the two unconscious girls, chortling as he began his little action of preparing to pepper them with blasts.

"It seems this mustard is sweet rather than spicy. My fury is burning hot so as to take the rage away from the defeat you will suffer at my hands. I must pepper you with my headgear so as to spice up my sandwich."

However before he could do anything to them, a foot collided with his face, knocking him to the ground.

"You won't be hurting anyone else," The attacker stood before him, getting into a fighting position. The Beanish stood up, his headgear causing him to rise into the air. He looked at this new challenger with surprise on his face.

Standing there was a new warrior, this particular warrior resembling the unconscious queen. Dressed in a pink dress that resembled the queen's, though only reaching just above her knees to allow her more movement, she had on white boots that a soldier would wear, rising to her knees, pink stockings under that. Her dress was sleeveless, a dark blue brooch in the middle, allowing her white gloves to reach her shoulders almost. Her orange hair was in two pigtails, silvery blue eyes staring at the creature. On her head sat a crown that seemed to blink. She clenched her fists, preparing to attack again.

"It seems a new condiment must be brought about for my revenge," The Beanish chortled, his headgear shooting a fireball at the new challenger.

The new challenger, however, swatted it away, rushing for him and kicking him. He flew backwards, slamming into the wall. He stood up, cracking his neck, catching the foot of the challenger as she levelled another kick.

"If that one couldn't put up a fight against me, what makes you think you could?" The Beanish nodded toward Lucinda.

"Because I'm more powerful than she is," The new challenger swung her other leg around, freeing herself as she grabbed the headgear, swinging the Beanish around by it. She released him as he rocketed into the wall, colliding hard with it. He stood up, growling with fury.

"I am Fawful!" He shouted. "I have fury!"

His headgear began to suck in, pulling what seemed like power from the unconscious queen. The queen lookalike kicked the headgear, stopping it in its tracks. She then slammed her fist into Fawful's face.

"You fink rat!" Fawful shouted, shooting a fireball at her. She blocked it, a strange magic coming from her fingers as she began to heal her minor injuries. Nearby, the queen and unconscious girls began to heal as well.

"I won't let you hurt them anymore!" The lookalike punched Fawful, grabbing him and throwing him out the window. She leapt after him, seeming to float through the air. Swinging her leg around, she kicked him to the ground.

"It seems I must get serious here," Fawful chortled. "Headgear!"

The headgear began to suck in a lot of air, spewing a huge volley of fireballs out. Some headed straight for the lookalike and some headed for the castle town. The lookalike shot magic of her own to hit the fireballs, some of them still raining down on the town. She looked up to see Fawful flying away.

"Get back here!" She shouted, jumping after him.

"I have what I needed," Fawful chortled. "I shall return to hurt you again next time."

The lookalike leapt after him again, missing as he shot a fireball that hit her straight in the chest. She fell to the ground, landing hard as she cratered the ground. He laughed, shooting more fireballs into the air. When she stood, the Beanish was gone, but she saw the shards of his headgear on the ground around her. She ran to where Lucinda, Shroob and the queen were lying unconscious.

She held her hands out to them, magic flowing from her hands as she began to heal them. She panted as she felt her power reach its limits. She was tired from the fight, however brief. She had managed to get the jump on that Fawful character, but it probably wouldn't happen again. She felt her power fully exhaust, making her exit.

The three woke up, the queen waking first. She looked at her daughter, clenching her fist as she saw Shroob there.

She opened her mouth to speak, an explosion appearing in front of her. She was unfazed by it, but clenched her teeth as she realized that her voice was swapped with an explosive spell.

She looked down at Lucinda, who stirred awake. She could sense a familiar magic on her, but ignored that.

"Mom?" She asked, waking up fully. "What happened? That guy's gone, but where did he go?"

The queen looked out the window as Pink ran in, the captain of the royal guard behind her. He looked at the queen, bowing as Coco ran in with Kamek the magician, a strange satchel by her side.

"Your majesty," Kamek bowed low to the queen. "I am sorry I was unable to aid you in your trouble. I discovered an odd spell. What shall we do?"

The queen opened her mouth, an explosion blowing him back as he stood.

"I see," The old wizard held up his wand, looking carefully at her. "I do not know how to fix that. Perhaps we should give you a temporary voice so that you do not hurt anyone else with your explosive vocabulary."

He cast a spell by waving his wand, the queen feeling an odd sensation in her throat. The voice that came from her throat was raspy, almost evil sounding, but it was a voice all the same. She took a deep breath as she spoke.

"We will take my voice back from BeanBean Kingdom," She said. "I won't let this go. This Fawful and his mistress are going to fail. They tried to take my life, but failed. She will come here soon to take it with some odd power. That is when we will strike."

"I'll go to BeanBean Kingdom," Lucinda stood. "I'll see if I can get Queen Bean to help."

"I'll go with you," Coco piped up. "I'll just need to pack a little first."

"I-I'll help," Shroob raised her hand, Pink clenching a fist as well.

"I'll go too," The Toadette spoke up. "Whatever that guy was, we need to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else."

"I suppose it will be alright," Kamek sighed. "Lucinda, I believe you have some, er, packing to do as well. Make sure you take a 'cloak' for protection."

Lucinda's gaze whipped to the aged sorcerer, wide eyed as she felt the gasp. The turtle like man gave a knowing smirk. Lucinda gulped, watching as he nodded toward her room.

"I'll assist you." He spoke. "Your taste in dressing is horrible."

"Aren't you going to wait for my decision?" The queen crossed her arms.

"You'd lose your temper too easily. I know how you are; I've known you since you were a child."

"You don't know that much. And, Coco needs to stay here."

"I know how you reacted to those crystal stars."

"Wait," Coco piped in. "Is it a good idea to take your… best gear, Kamek?"

"No one better to wield them than you. Now, I will help your sister pack. Be ready."

Kamek grabbed Lucinda's arm, pulling her to her room and to her closet. He opened the door, grabbing the chest.

"How did you—"

"Know about this? I'm the one that discovered them in the first place. I know all about your little escapades. Now, your mother will only detain for a week before coming after you, so be ready. Take that feather. You will have need of it."

"Wait, where's the crown?" Lucinda gasped, looking at it.

"I can't sense it, so it must have chosen its bearer. But, we don't have time for that anyway. It wasn't for you. That crown is of much too much importance for you."

"What do you mean? Is this about me being too irresponsible again?"

"Surprisingly no. The crown has already found its bearer. It wasn't for you in the first place, I'm guessing. Now, take everything. I'm close to discovering something else for you to use. Now, get going to BeanBean Kingdom so that you can save your mother's voice. That spell won't last long."

Lucinda sighed, nodding as she grabbed her powerups, stuffing them and her outfit in a bag and leaving the feather in its case in the bag. Pink had grabbed her own bag as Coco walked by with her bag.

"I'm ready, Kamek. Are you accompanying us?"

"Only to the door. I must tend to the queen. But, she wishes you stay here. You understand why."

"I do. I will until I am needed over there."

The group headed to the door, preparing to head to the BeanBean Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the BeanBean Kingdom, a sorceress watched the castle from her crystal ball.

"My lady, I have returned. My revenge sandwich will soon be finished.

"Good, Fawful. And, why are you so damaged?"

"I managed to catch the princess by surprise, but someone else attacked me. Someone with a good deal of power."

"How much?"

"More than the princess has, but it's more unfocused my lady."

"I see. Well, she'll be no trouble. I'll handle her well. Now, explain the other one."

"She seemed to be purple, my lady."

"A Shroob, eh? No matter. I will be able to defeat one as weak as that."

"And, then BeanBean Kingdom and the Mushroom Kingdom will be ours as well."

"Correct. And, now they plan to come here to battle me. At least some of them."

"We shall be waiting, my lady."

"Correct, Fawful. Now, prepare to attack the queen. It's for the best we get her out of the way."

"My lady? We stole her voice. How much of a threat can she be?"

"Fool!" The sorceress' voice boomed through the halls. "You do not understand the depth of that woman's powers! Her voice is only the key to aiding me in my conquest, not defeating her! I'll need more power to defeat such a warrior as she! I'll need the Beanstar!"

"Perfect, my lady."

"Yes, and we shall have our glorious battle with her."

_Back in the Mushroom Kingdom_

"You keep an eye on her," The queen spoke to Lucinda, looking at Shroob.

"Why are you so bigoted against her?" Lucinda demanded.

"You would never understand. Now, be safe."

Lucinda gave her mother a hug. Normally, the queen would have done nothing, simply letting it happen, but she now hugged her.

"Be good." She told Lucinda. "You are there for political reasons, not to play around. Do not misbehave. Prince Peasley will accompany you because he has healed enough to travel."

"Understood." Lucinda said.

_The next day_

"This is a bad sign," Prince Peasley sat next to Lucinda. "You brought it, didn't you?"

"For the last time, yes," Lucinda said. "I know what I'm getting into. Fortunately, Kamek gave us an easy trip back with a little magic so we don't get hurt."

"I don't like this," Shroob looked out the window. "I just have a bad feeling."

"Me too. But, we're flying into danger."

"I just hope we'll be alright," Pink sighed. "I don't like the feelings I have either. But, we can't just let them control us. We have to help the queen."

"Your mother will be able to hold the fort in your absence. I've heard stories."

"None of them are true. My mother isn't like that."

"So you say. However, stories are quite prevalent of her power and it's quite obvious where she gets it."

"Where?"

"Read the stories. Now, we must be careful."

"Of course. Now, let's enjoy the flight while we can."

* * *

Well, it seems like the group must head to Beanbean Kingdom to solve this. What could happen? And, what will happen to the queen while they're gone? I know the Fawful fight was short, but I plan to have a longer one. This is clearly part of a bigger plan.


	5. Queen Bean

Chapter Five: Queen Bean

"You truly believe that these are something I should use?" Coco looked down at the stars Kamek held before her. "I mean, they hurt mother badly the last time I used them."

"That is precisely why they are necessary now," Kamek grit his teeth. "I fear this witch may triumph over your mother. This is a safeguard against your mother's dark magic. You proved your worth in fighting through Rogueport for them. Now, you must retrain your body to use them. If your sister fails to stop this witch, you must protect your mother."

"Lucinda won't be fighting, will she?"

"Your sister possesses the blood of your father, the great Koopa King. While she is unaware of this, she is aware of a great deal of other powers she possesses. However, she is not necessarily powerful enough to stop this witch on her own or with her aid."

"I understand," The elder princess bowed her head. "Train me in their use once again, Kamek."

"As you wish, my princess."

The magician held up the yellow star to her, summoning it to her as it shot forth into her chest. It seemed to impale her, piercing her with a holy and powerful light. Her own internal power skyrocketed, bursting forth in a glorious array of light. She felt herself getting stronger and her body toughening up.

"Good," The magician sighed in relief. "Your body is still accustomed to their power. We will still go slowly so as to avoid overloading you. But, we can use this to our advantage."

Coco felt herself be pulled inside herself, seeing what she saw the last time she used the Stars.

Six hours later, the crew of Lucinda and Co had arrived in the Beanbean Kingdom. The plane touching down, Lucinda aided Prince Peasley in exiting the plane. Pink and Shroob followed, making sure they stayed with Lucinda and Peasley, the only two present that had traversed the Beanbean Kingdom before.

"Mother's castle is to the north," Peasley spoke. "However, the royal guard will escort us."

A tall, old Beanish woman in a yellow robe walked up to them, bowing low to the ground. Prince Peasley looked at her without moving.

"My prince, you have returned," She said in a jovial voice. "I'm glad you have returned. Your mother was quite upset at having heard that that ruffian from the Mushroom Kingdom beat you up."

"I was a monster," Prince Peasley shrugged. "I suppose I did break a few things. But, I looked fabulous while doing so."

Lucinda's eye roll couldn't have been louder if she'd said she was going to do it. The vizier, as her title would imply, gestured them to her procession.

"Lady Lima," Peasley spoke. "Where is my mother? At the palace still?"

"Of course, your highness. She is waiting for your safe return. We must hurry before she worries further."

The group proceeded to the castle, the town of Beanbean Castle bustling with Beanish people walking around and visiting the shops and various other things. Lucinda always did enjoy the town, its liveliness rivalling that of the Mushroom Kingdom.

They were led up the castle, straight into the throne room. A monstrous Beanish woman was there, crossing her large arms. She towered over the entire crew, her smile looking wide enough to swallow one whole, especially Pink, who was quite a bit smaller than Lucinda.

"Well, it seems as if my little angel has returned," She chortled, jumping into the air. The room seemed to shake with her jump.

"I have," Peasley bowed slightly.

"No thanks to that Mushroom Kingdom cretin they call a heroine, I would say."

"Well, without her, I would be still a monster, I would say she helped."

"And, yet you were hospitalized because of it."

"I was a monster. We'll worry about it later. We need to stop this witch."

"That is why I am glad that the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom has come. Though, why she has brought one of _them_, I'm not sure."

Lucinda felt her fist clench on instinct as Pink and Shroob stepped behind her.

"You take that back." Lucinda tried to keep civil. "They're both my friends. I don't know which one you mean, but you're on thin ice."

"Feisty. We'll need that. And, I am referring to the Shroob you have brought. They're nothing but trouble."

"You're one to talk."

"Enough!" Peasley shouted. "Mother, you are being quite rude to our guests. It isn't worth angering Lucinda's mother because of some petty grudge. Starting war is something you don't want to do. None of us do."

"Very well. But, keep an eye on that one. She may be trouble."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Lucinda demanded.

"It seems you don't know of the wars past," Queen Bean sighed. "I suppose they were hidden for a reason. They weren't pretty wars, whatever they were. We all lost forces. But, we must put that behind us at this moment. We have bigger problems. It's time to begin discussing what we have learned. You will begin."

After a recounting of their story, minus the parts about Lucinda being Starchild, the queen nodded.

"It would seem the two things are aligned after all."

"How so, mother?"

"That witch has taken the Beanstar by fixing the plumbing of our castle."

"Who makes that a security device?" Lucinda interjected.

"Yeah, that's pretty stupid," Pink nodded in agreement.

"Well, it was what we had. And, this witch has taken it. But, it's clear she isn't able to activate it."

"How so, mother?"

"Because she'd be nigh all-powerful. She'd have gone to attack your mother without a second thought. She would have drained her power and become the most powerful being in the universe."

"But, the Mushroom Queen isn't so weak, my queen."

"She may not be, but can she outmatch the Beanstar with her power sealed like that?"

"Sealed?" Lucinda asked.

"Without her voice, she does not have access to her full powers," Queen Bean explained. "She will be vulnerable and unable to attack to stop the witch from stealing what is your mother's. But, if we can stop her, then we will be able to restore your mother's powers."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lucinda asked. "Let's get to restoring her."

"It will take very careful planning for us to be able to defeat this foe."

"But, my mother can't talk without exploding things."

"And, we will restore her. But, running blindly into such a battle will not get us anywhere. It will be a trap if we rush into this. We have discovered her location is that of WooHoo Hooniversity."

"Well, then let's go after her!"

"I told you, child, it will be a trap!"

"Well, we need to do something!"

"Enough!" Shroob shouted. All eyes turned to her. "We will get nowhere by arguing like children. We need a way to stop them."

"And, what is your stake in this?" Queen Bean asked the purple haired girl.

"Lucinda is my… friend," Shroob stated. "She helped me when I needed it. Her problem is my problem."

"You are noble, I must concede." The monarch nodded, crossing her arms. "Take the children to their rooms and bring them back here in three hours. We will council for war then."

"Right, my queen," Two guards escorted the princess and her entourage to a room that contained three beds.

The second they had left, Lucinda put her case down and opened it. She pulled from it her Starchild outfit. Setting them on her bed, she looked at them with a sigh. She looked to her friends, looking back to her outfit.

"I don't want to have to do this," She said. "But, I'll need to. Shroob, I trust you can keep a secret about my items here."

"I will. Please take me with you."

"It's too dangerous. I'll have to take the feather as insurance. Pink, do you know what happened to the crown? I couldn't see it. Was someone else in my room? You were last one in. Did you see anything?"

"No… no one took it from what I could tell," Pink said. "Did it find its rightful owner?"

"That's my guess," Lucinda sighed. "Hopefully, whoever is using it uses it for good."

"Yeah, hopefully," Pink nodded.

"I'm going now," Lucinda narrowed her eyes. "If Queen Bean asks where I am, tell her I'm in the washroom. I'm going to stop her. If we wait, it will be too late."

"Please don't die," Pink whimpered as Lucinda donned the mask of the Starchild, slipping out of her dress and into the plumber's gear she was so accustomed to wearing. She pulled a Tanooki Leaf from her bag, slipping the feather into a hidden pocket. She used the Leaf, a tail and ears sprouting from her body as she walked to the window. She stepped onto the ledge, falling down before bursting forth in her flight.

She flew high, remembering the geography she had learned of the BeanBean Kingdom as a child. She knew she could make it quickly with the speed of this powerup. She also knew she had the Fire Flower to fall back on in case it was needed. She saw the renowned university ahead of her as she flew, landing in front. She lighted on the first step, opening the door. Walking inside, she saw a group of running students, making their way for the exit.

Starchild felt a pang of nervousness hitting her as she walked inside. She made her way into the depths of the university, standing in the middle of the hall. She saw the monster that had attacked earlier, walking into the hidden wall Prince Peasley had mentioned in one of their conversations. She knew that she had to be careful or she could be hurt. She carefully stole into the area, following the Beanish into the room. Inside, she saw a Beanish that made her gasp in shock.

She was tall, nearly half again Starchild's height. She was incredibly spindly, long and crooked fingers curling around a thin fist. She wore a cape that made her resemble a bat more than a bean. Her face was wicked, a sickly green that looked as if she'd been covered in the blood of the Beans she shared a species with. Her eyes, those horrible eyes, were bloody red, shaped like what a bat's would look like were you to turn them sideways. Long, thin pupils shone in the center, looking as if they were piercing the soul of one. Her cackle sent a shiver down Starchild's spine. The plumber watched them from behind a pillar.

There was a large green star, at least six feet wide at the widest point, lying in the middle of the room, its power glowing brilliantly.

"Ready her voice, Fawful!" She cackled, her henchman walking closer. Starchild bit her lip behind her mask. She had barely been able to defend herself against the smaller one. This witch was clearly a powerful opponent. She couldn't just let her get away with this, but she also didn't know if she could match her power. It was beyond anything she had experienced from anyone aside from her mother. She waited, watching as the smaller Beanish, Fawful, took his headgear, which contained the voice of her mother.

"This will give us access to the Beanstar and limitless power!" The witch cackled. As the voice of her mother began to softly sing, Starchild felt her anger boil over as the star began to react. Eventually, the heroine couldn't take it anymore, rushing in to kick the headgear away from them, knocking it to the floor. With her speed, she knocked Fawful to the ground, moving in front of the taller witch.

"It's over!" She said from behind her mask. "You two are going to pay for taking the queen's voice!"

"Yeargh!" The witch exclaimed in anger. "This pest again! We must have been followed! Fawful!"

"Yes, my queen," Fawful chortled as he moved to gather his headgear. However, he was kicked to the ground by the same stranger that had intervened in his plans back in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"You're not going anywhere," She said, knocking him away. "You're fighting me now."

"You stole the crown," Starchild said her fists clenched. "Who are you?"

"That's not important," The stranger said. "Just worry about her. I may tell you everything later."

Starchild turned her attention to the tall witch, whose face was growing angrier by the second.

"Get in the way of my power, will you?!" She demanded. "I'll show you!"

Lightning shot from the witch's hand toward Starchild, the heroine dodging the bolt. She moved in close, her speed allowing her to get close enough to land a blow to her jaw. The witch recoiled, being forced to take a step back.

"You're quite strong, child. But, I'm far stronger!"

She split into three, each letting loose with a barrage of lightning bolts. Starchild dodged to the best of her abilities, a stray bolt striking her in the right arm. The current raced up and down her arm, the princess hissing in pain as she felt her arm go numb. She was now down an arm. Fortunately, she still had her powerup, which would aid her in battling this witch. Without the speed of the Tanooki tail, she would be in quite the pickle.

She quickly moved in closer, using her good arm to strike one of the three witches. The witch cackled, splitting into a huge swirling cloud of bats that all began to swirl and bite her. Starchild hissed as the bats all began to sink their poison into her. The other two witches cackled as the swirling cloud continued to attack the heroine.

The crown wearing heroine was not faring much better. Fawful was using nasty tricks and attacks to battle her. The queen lookalike ducked and weaved around him, striking with powerful attacks. She kept stealing glances at Starchild to see how she was faring.

Fawful shot a blast from his headgear at her. A solid column of power, she dodged it to move in for a blow to his face. Fawful was faster than he looked, however, and ducked and moved around the attacks. The newer heroine was moving in closer, avoiding Fawful's attacks. Both seemed evenly matched, neither giving any space for the other to land a blow.

"Fink rat!" Fawful shouted, blasting a huge wave of attacks at her. The heroine ducked around them, weaving and trying to move around them. She was struck by a blow, being knocked back. Her strength allowed her to swat away some of the attacks. A huge volley of blasts circled her, rushing in. Dodging like a game of dodgeball, the heroine moved in and around the blasts, expertly weaving to avoid the blasts.

Beneath her was an enormous hole that the blasts had left. Into this she fell, Fawful chortling as he watched. His expression turned to shock when a fist rocketed up and into his face, knocking him clean over.

"You won't beat me just yet," The new heroine floated above the hole, concentrating some unknown power into her hand. This she fired at Fawful, the power exploding into hearts. Fawful was stunned, stepping back as the heroine landed in front of him.

"Time to put an end to your plans," She growled. "You won't get away with hurting the queen."

"On the contrary," Fawful muttered. "I will."

A blast from Fawful's headgear collided with the heroine, knocking her through the wall with the force of it. The Beanish turned to watch his mistress, who was fighting with Starchild. The swarm of bats was still going, swirling around and around. However, an orange light began to pour from the column of bats.

The column exploded outward, disintegrating as Starchild stood there, overalls turned white as she glared from behind her mask, fire in her eyes.

"I'm through playing games. It's time to end this," A fireball in her hand struck one of the two witches left standing. She threw one at the other, who dissipated. Charging at the remaining witch, Starchild threw a fire laden punch to severely burn the air, flames bursting from her hand as she connected her punch. However, she looked with horror to see that the witch had caught her blow, cackling.

"And here I was worried about you being a problem," The witch said, the sizzling from Starchild's hand loosening her grip a little. "But, you're just a child. Someone who can't even stand up to me. But, I suppose that was something I had to worry about."

"And you won't beat both of us," The stranger from earlier jumped in, kicking the witch in the back of the head, flipping her over Lucinda.

"How dare you?!" The witch exclaimed as Fawful moved over to her. "I will kill both of you!"

"You can try," The two heroines stood there, prepared to do battle. Starchild rushed for Fawful, the new heroine doing battle with the witch.

Fawful and Starchild traded blows, the princess feeling her fatigue start to kick in.

"_Not now,"_ She groaned inwardly. "I've got to be able to do this!"

The new heroine was also seeming to be tired. The Beanish both were dealing them heavy blows with blasts from magic and headgear.

"It seems as if we are having problems," The witch cackled, throwing the new heroine off of her. "Well, as we've been fighting, the two of us had prepared a glorious ending to your tale.

The two heroines looked on in horror as the Beanstar floated up from behind the Beanish, glowing brightly. The witch touched it, cackling maniacally as she began to rise into the air, absorbing some of its power. She began to fly off holding the star.

"She's going back to the Mushroom Kingdom," Starchild growled. "I can't believe I couldn't stop her. Queen Bean was right."

"I can get you to the Mushroom Kingdom," The new heroine looked at Starchild.

"I can get there myself," Starchild pulled out her Tanooki Leaf. I'll have to stop her before she defeats the queen."

"Be swift," The new heroine nodded, rushing to fight Fawful again.

Fawful chortled as he continued to fire his headgear's attacks at her, the heroine dodging as Starchild flew away.

"I let her go because she cannot possibly stop my queen," Fawful grinned wider than his face.

"Well, I will stop you." The heroine moved forward to punch Fawful in the face. The Beanish was knocked backward, his headgear righting him as it fired a shot toward the heroine. She smacked it away, continuing to move forward to continue her attack. Her magic shot from her hands, striking Fawful.

"You have made my sandwich bitter, but I shall make it sweet again with the mustard of defeat," The Beanish began firing powerful blasts from his headgear. He shot them in a sweeping pattern that attacked the heroine, several smashing into her with intensity.

"I won't surrender!" The heroine exclaimed, moving forward and smashing her fist into the headgear. It sputtered, exploding and sending Fawful flying. She chased after him, attempting to catch him and stop him before he could hurt Starchild.

Meanwhile, Starchild chased the witch back toward the Mushroom Kingdom. She knew she had to stop her at all costs. The castle she resided in was in sight now, such was their speed.

The Beanstar flew faster, reaching the castle and smashing through the window. The queen was sitting on her throne, watching as it landed in front of her, the witch cackling as she stood in front of the Mushroom queen.

"You've lost most of your power, Toadstool. Without your voice, you have no possible way of matching me. I took this precaution to ensure you would not win. I know of the monster you've taken inside of you, the dark magic you wield."

The queen stood, dark magic forming in her hand as she stood in front of the witch, her glare bidding her come and take what she wanted on pain of death. However, at that moment, Starchild crashed into the room, landing in between the two.

"Your battle is with me," She growled, kicking the witch in the gut.

"I suspected you would come back here," The witch snarled, bending over slightly from the kick. "But, I didn't think you so foolish to do it alone. I've beaten you, heroine. Just give up."

"Not on your life," Starchild threw a punch with her speed, but the witch was faster, punching her in the throat, electricity shooting forth through her fist. Starchild shrieked as she felt herself be electrocuted. Her mask began to crack from the magic overload she was suffering. The electricity shot through her, her Tanooki ears and tail poofing away in a cloud of dust.

The queen gasped softly, trying not to talk too loud so as to not trigger the explosive speech spell. She threw the dark magic in her hand at the witch, who threw Starchild into the wall nearby with a sickening crunch.

"It seems like you're just a weakling after all," The witch cackled as the heroine's mask fell off, breaking in two. The eyes of Lucinda glared weakly at her opponent. The queen gasped in horror as she stared at her own daughter, in the attire of the person she had despised and berated.

Lucinda looked at her with shame and sorrow in her eyes. She knew that this was the one thing she failed to keep from her mother.

"It seems as if I'll be ending an entire family today," The witch said. "I'll start with child dearest."

Lucinda growled weakly, reaching into her pocket. She knew she had one more chance to do this and it was now or never.

"Go ahead, take out an item like that other plumber. I'll kill you just like him. I made sure to keep him nice and dead so he'd never threaten me again."

"Go to hell," Lucinda softly said, pulling the feather from her pocket. The witch and the queen stared at it in horror, the witch's fists clenching as she summoned her magic to her hand.

"I won't let you use that against me!" She shrieked, destroying the wall around Lucinda. It crumbled down onto the heroine, the queen gasping loudly in horror. The witch cackled as she turned to face the queen, her magic in her hands as she walked toward her.

"Let's make this last a bit. I'd love to hear you scream more as I remove your power from y—wait, what's that I sense?"

The castle began to shake as an odd power began to emerge from where the crumbled rocks were. They were shaking as a golden power began shining from cracks in the rocks. They were trembling as if shaken in a snow globe. A yelling sound emerged as they heard a shudder in the rocks that had crumbled. Suddenly, they exploded outward in a burst of intense magical power, golden power surrounding the battered figure of Lucinda, her head looking down at the ground. It was like a burning fire that surrounded her with intensity. Flowing behind her like the hero she was pretending to be was a cape that was golden in color and reached her ankles. It seemed to glow brightly as she stood there. It seemed to be the only thing different about her, minus the power she had received from the feather.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she looked up, her eyes blazing red with a might and fury that she'd never felt before. The Beanish witch took a step back in shock at this new powerup Lucinda had consumed. Even the queen was surprised at this.

"You took my mother's voice," She said as she glared at the witch. "Now, it's my turn to take something from you."

* * *

Woah! So that's what the feather does! Well, next chapter, we'll see it in action against this witch. How will Lucinda fare?


End file.
